WSVN — It was a Valentine’s Day gift straight from the heart. Students at one middle school tell their moms how they really feel about them, and our very own Lynn Martinez was one of them. Here’s today’s Parent to Parent.
It was an emotion-filled night at South Miami Middle School, where students shared their feelings about their moms on stage in front of a packed auditorium.
Madelin Marchant: “So, we have a hundred students tonight, we have a hundred moms sitting in the audience.”
Theater Arts Director Madelin Marchant says kids aren’t communicating like they used to, thanks to texting and the explosion of social media.
Madelin Marchant: “We’ve forgotten how to write. We don’t know how to speak.”
So, she gave her students a challenge: write down how they really feel about their mom and then present it to her during a live show called the Mommalogues.
Madelin Marchant: “Now, they’re not just expressing themselves, they’re writing down what they feel.”
Seventh-grader Jaime says putting his feelings in writing took a lot of thought and effort.
Jaime Tolsa: “I feel like it has a lot more value when either you say it or you write it.”
Other kids stressed over getting the words just right!
Charlize Ramos: “To describe how I felt about my mom was a little bit hard, because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to say.”
As for the moms, they loved it and thought it was a good way to gently push kids to open up.
Mari Conde: “Great idea for the parent and the child to share and to know what your child feels about you.”
Lynn Martinez: Some moms, including me, were a little nervous about what our kids were going to say about us. But in the end, my daughter Elle, as always, made me proud to be her mom.
Elle Martinez-Olson: “She’s my biggest supporter, my best listener, my partner in crime and she’s always there for me.”
Lynn Martinez: “I love you too honey!”
Lynn Martinez: It really was a great night. Madelin hopes the Mommalogues concept will spread to other schools in South Florida and beyond.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.southmiamimiddleschool.com